Editorial: Why this is the best time to double down on masks

It’s faint, but there appears to be a glimmer of light at the end of the dark COVID-19 tunnel.

Vaccinations are increasing, slowly but surely. The number of new cases, which have veered from the single to triple digits, appears to be retreating a bit (knock on wood). Businesses have adapted, and are slowly recovering. More federal help is on the way (knock on wood again).

So it’s tempting to relax a bit, to get more casual about wearing our ratty old masks, keeping our distance and obsessively washing our hands. Surely that’s OK now?

Well, no. In fact, experts say this is the best time to double down — especially with masks.

This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its guidelines on masks, urging us to take a fresh look at how we’re using them (cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/effective-masks.html).

The CDC recommends focusing on a snug fit, without gaps on the outside edges of the mask. Using a mask with a nose wire, fitter or brace can help. Multiple layers are essential. You can double up on masks, using a cloth mask to hold a disposable one against your face (but don’t use two disposable masks). Knot and tuck ear loops on medical procedure masks for a tighter fit.

It is already well-known that universal masking can reduce the transmission of COVID-19. The new guidelines emerged from CDC experiments that showed that the recommended modifications “substantially improved source control and reduced wearer exposure.”

That’s essential. We’re getting closer to knocking out the virus, but new variants have emerged that are even more contagious. Two cases of the United Kingdom variant, B.1.1.7, were reported on Oahu last week. It’s up to 60% more transmissible than other strains, officials say. So while we are making progress, it’s far too early to let our guard down.

In any event, mask-wearing has become de rigueur. Gov. David Ige has instituted a statewide mask mandate. The Biden administration last month issued an executive order requiring masks for public transportation, prompting TheBus to update its own rules (thebus.org).

And banners went up in Waikiki this week, reminding tourists and locals about the rules, along with the exhortation, “Live Aloha!”

Indeed. The better we protect ourselves, the better we protect one another.

DHHL may still roll dice

Not dead yet. A bunch of gambling bills stalled in the Legislature this week, but hope was kept alive for Senate Bill 1321, which would allow some form of gaming on Native Hawaiian land, under the auspices of the Hawaiian Homes Commission.

Many social-ill and crime concerns are linked to gambling, so Hawaii must remain cautious against legalizing any form of it. This, even as underground gambling dens exist in communities here, and even as many law-abiding Hawaii citizens drop a lot of cash in places like Vegas — cash that could be staying here to fund local causes.

But if there’s one entity that might be allowed some latitude to pursue the profits-from-gaming dream, it would be the Hawaiian Homes Commission (HHC), exasperated and eager to get its Native Hawaiian beneficiaries on homestead lands, a mission delayed for decades due to lack of state funding and administrative morass.

SB 1321 aims to enable a dedicated funding source by allowing a casino resort on Hawaiian homelands, excluding lands west of Ko Olina, establishing a Hawaii Gaming Commission, imposing a wagering tax on gross gaming revenue and creating a state gaming fund.

In a Thursday hearing in the Senate Committee of Hawaiian Affairs, amended language such as “self-determination” was proposed to SB 1321, with decision-making to come Tuesday. Still, as evidence of the high hurdle on this issue, companion House Bill 359 was shelved last week by a House committee amid that chamber’s unwillingness to move gambling forward.

More than 28,000 Native Hawaiians are awaiting homesteads as the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) struggles to develop lots; over the years, many have died waiting. SB 1321 also pointedly notes the COVID-19 economic devastation and the unlikelihood in the foreseeable future for DHHL funding, given the state’s severe shortfall.

Even as the HHC and DHHL pursue their quixotic mission, other gaming bills appear dead for now: House Bill 383, to create a state poker commission overseeing live poker rooms; HB 772, for a casino at the Hawaii Convention Center that would have required players to stay in an Oahu hotel; and HB 736, for a pilot program on digital sports betting platforms.

But still alive is SB 816, which would create a state lottery to benefit education: The amended bill would create a lottery by Jan. 1, 2023, to allow a task force and future lottery commission time to organize.

Gambling and lottery bills are perennial attempts at every legislative session. But amid a once-in-a-generation pandemic and its economic fallout, desperate times might bring results from desperate measures. Let’s hope they are forward-looking enough to ease burdens, not create more of them.